With a launch price of $1,100, the Google Pixel 11 Pro wasn’t a viable contender in the 6.3” flagship category, even though in the US market there aren’t even that many models that fit in this category – there’s the Galaxy S26, there’s the iPhone 18 Pro and that’s it. A 23% price cut on that makes the Google phone more competitive, though. Compared to its predecessor, the new Pro addresses key shortcomings like the bad battery life on the 2025 model. Charging is a bit faster too, though nothing like what you get with Chinese brands (which you can’t get in the US).
Also, the Pixel 11 series is basically the only mainstream Android series that has magnetic attachment for chargers and accessories – Google calls it “Pixelsnap”, but it’s compatible with Apple’s Mag Safe magnet arrangement. Also, there is satellite SOS similar to the iPhone service, while the Galaxy S26 models rely on a Direct to Cell implementation instead of using dedicated satellite bands. The big new feature for this generation, Hi Light, is pretty limited – it’s more of a gimmick at this stage.
Also, the much-awaited Tensor G6, the first to be fabbed by TSMC instead of Samsung, has a pretty bad GPU – we definitely would not recommend this one for gaming. The Pixel 11 Pro has its flaws, certainly, but it puts Pixel-exclusive features in your hands and promises 7 years of updates with regular Pixel Drops with new features.
The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL, the larger 6.8” model, starts at $1,000 for the base 256GB model. This is after a 23% discount for Prime Big Deal Days. Note that while last year’s Pros had 16GB of RAM even on the 128GB phones, the reality of 2026 RAM prices meant that Google set the baseline at 12GB of RAM – you can still get 16GB, but that is only available on higher storage tiers like 512GB, which adds extra cost.
Source: GSMArena · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing